sheehy



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

R. J. SHBEHY.

REGULATOR FOR DYNAMO ELECTRIC MACHINES.

N0. 307,684. A A PatentedNov. 4, 1884.

WITNESSES ENVENTOR g 6 J5 8 i By his flltorneys RD err had? $0 %@wa QB/VKQWW (No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2.

R. J. SHEEHY] w REGULATOR FOR DYNAMO ELECTRIC MACHINES.

No. 307,684. Patented Nov. 4, 1884.

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UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICEQ ROBERT J. SHEEHY, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y,

REGULATOR FOR. DYNAMO-ELECTRiC MACHINES.

EPECIPICATION forming part. of Letters Patent No. 307,684, dated November 4, 1884.

Application filed January 11, ISSB. Renewed March 13, 1884. (X0 model.)

L '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT J. SIIEEHY, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city, county, and State of NewYork, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Methods of Electric -Gurrent Regulation, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain systems and devices which have for their object the regulation of the strength of the electrical currents established upon a circuit of conductors by the rotation of a generating armature within a field of magnetic force.

The object of my invention is to automatically maintain within the circuitot' an electric generator of the dynamo or magneto electric types an approximately uniform strength of current, or, more properly speaking, to restore the current to its normal strength when for any reason it varies or tends to vary therefrom. The method by which I accomplish this result may be'outlined as follows: To the shaft which carries the generating armature I apply a second armature of the type commonly employed in electric motors or engines, but of dimensions considerably smaller than those of the generatingarmature. To this second armature I impart a tendency to revolve, and so modify the speed of revolution of the generatingarmature as to offset or compensate the increases and decreases in our rent strength upon the circuit of said generating-armature. Further, in order that such modifications may be properlytimed and pro portioned to effect the desired regulation, I make them dependent upon the strength of the generated current. Thus I may cause the current to traverse the coils of said motor-an mature, or of the electro-magnets which create its field, or both; or I may pass said current through differential helices surrounding the main helices of said motor iioldanagnets, or apply it in other equivalent ways, having in each case the same object in vi ew-namely, to make the supplementary action of the motor appropriate inamount and direction to so modify the rate of revolution of the shaft as to correct the abnormal increases and decreases of current strength upon the working circuit.

There are two ways now known to me in which the theory of this invention may be practically carried out. In the first instance, the motorarmature may be given a tendency to revolve in a direction contrary to the normal revolution. In the second instance,it may be impelled in a direction similar thereto. Regarding the first of these methods, by causing the generated current to traverse the motor-armature and the coils of its field-magnets in such direction that a tendency is given to the motor-armature to oppose the normal revolution, any variation in the strength of current will actuate the motor to reestablish the normal strength. Regarding the second method, a tendency may be imparted to said motor-armature to revolve in the same direc tion with said generating-armature, and, as it were, to assist in the revolution. To regulate the currcnt,it is then only necessary to modify the degree of assistance. This may be elfectcd .in a number of different ways. Thus, for example, a portion of the generated current may be caused to circulate through the coils of differential helices surrounding the main helices of thefield-magnet ofthe motor,or changes in the strength of the generated current may be employed to introduce resistances into the circuit of the main helix of the fieldanagnet, or to withdraw them therefrom. Of the two methods thus cited for carrying the principles of my invention into effect I prefer that first mentioned, though I do not narrowly limit myself thereto, as I regard all others as its equivalent.

The exact subjectmatter claimed as new will be hereinafter specifically designated.

In the accompanying drawings, which illus trate my invention, Figure l is a theoretical diagram in which the armatures of the generator and motor are respectively provided with field-magnets. Big. 2- is a like diagram show ing both armatures as applied to a iield of force established by a single system of electro-magnets. In each of these organizations the arrangement of circuits is such that a tendency is given to the armature of the motor to revolve in a direction opposite to that of the gcnerating-armature. Fig. 3 is a theoretical diagram illustrating one method of organizing the apparatus when the motor-armature is made to impart to the armature-shaft a greater or less tendency to revolve in the direction of the revolution of the generatingan mature according as the current traversing the external circuit of the same decreases or increases beyond its normal strength.

Similar letters of reference are applied to the corresponding parts appearing in the different figures.

Referring to Fig. l, A represents an armature-shalt rotated in thodirectionindicated by the arrow .1," by means of a driving-wheel applied to a pulley, 1%, or in any other wellknown manner. Upon this shal't A are mounted two armatures, G and ll, arranged to revolve, rcs ;)ectively, through the lields of force created by two systems of field-magnets, D and F. The armatures C" and ll may be of any convenient form, as their particular construction does not affect the principle of the invention. Likewise the precise construction of the held-magnets l) and I is not material, and any ol the types commonly employed in electric generators and motors may be made use of. in the diagrams l. have represented them as electro-magnets; but permanent magnets may be substituted, if preferred. Each of the armatures is provided with a corresponding commutator, as shown at G and L, respectively. The commutator (l is provided with two contaclabrushes, II and ii, arranged to collect the currents or impulses generated in the coils of the armature C, according to their polarity. The commutator L is provided with two contact-brushes, lit and l\", for conveying the currents generated in the coils of the armature C to the inducing-coils ol the armature 15 in a proper sequence to tend to rotate that armature in the direction indicated by the arrow a that is to say, opposite to the direction of its actual revolution. In the iigurc l have represented the brush K as connected by a conductor. 1, through the coils of the field-magnets I) and F, with the motor contact-brush N, and the brush ll as connected by means of a conductor, 2, constituting the work-circuit ot' the generator, with the contact-ln'ush ll of the commutator-L. In the circuit of the conductor 2 may be included a system of electric lights, 0, or other electrically-operated apparatus of any character.

The operation of the generator as follows: A ssuming that a positive current is caused to traverse the (mnductorl 2 in the direction ineated by the arrow 7 by the revolution ol'the armatru'e in the direction indicated by the arrow a, the effect produced upon the motorarmature by the current traversing its coils 11 through which the circuit is successively directed by means of the commutator L is to create a tendency on the part of the motorarmature to oppose the movements of the driveshal't and generating-armature. 'With every increase or decrease in the strength ot'the cu r rent upon the main line this tendency is increased or diminished correlative] y. Thus, if for any cause the current traversing the ternal circuit be increased above its normal.

strength, the nmtor-arniature will operate to increase the resistance of the armature-shalt and correspondingly decrease the rate of its revolution. The current generated in the coils ot'lhe armature will thereupon be lessened. \Vhen, on the other hand, the current falls below its normal strength, the opposing force exerted by the motor is decreased, and the shalt allowed to revolve with a greater rapidity, thereby raising the current to its normal strength.

In Fig. 2 I have represented the armature 1 of the generator and the armature ll ot'the motor as both carried upon the shalt A. within the held of a single field-magnet, l)". The arrangement of circuits relative to the armaturcs and commutatois are in other respects the same as described with reference to Fig. l, and the operation of the machine is precisely similar. in the construction shown in Fig. 2, however, the lield of force :l'or both armatures is practically ol' the same intensity, whereas in the former construction the 'lields 0t l'orce of each armature may be made 01' such relative strengths as desired. it is also possible to apply themotor-armature to the driveshaft in such manner that it will tend to 1'0 talewith the armature ol" the generator, instead of in the opposite direction. The motor-armature may then be considered as assisting in the rotation, and the strength of current upon the main line may be regulated by governing the degree ol" assistance thus rendered. To accomplish this the motor maybe constructed and combinei'l with the generator in the manner illustrated in Fig. 1%, which shows an organization of the generating and inducing circuits practically the same as that described in connection with Fig. 1, except that the current generated is caused to traverse a series of neutralizing-coils surrmimling the lield-inaguets ol' the motor. The commutator-brush h is connected by a wire, 3, through the iicldmagnets l) and :l:",with the brush N" of the commutator L The brush ll. is connected through the work-circuitt with the remaining brush, )l, of the commutator l'j. Supposing an armature, l, to be used provided with a circular series of coils, the outer ends ol the coils might be connected with their respective commutator-segments in the usual manner; but the inner ends of" the opposite coils, instead of being directly united with each other, may be connected with the segments ofan additional commutator, l, the respective seg- :ments of which make contact with twobrushes, it and S. The brush S is electrically connected by a conductor, 7, with one terminal 01' an opposing or neutralizing coil surrounding the tield-magnet l The opposite terminal of this coil is connected with the contact-plate I, of a switch, T, and with one terminal of a second ,dillerential coil, 1, the opposite terminal of which communicates with eontact-plate t. This arrangement may be indefinitely ex tended. The arm T is connected by conductor 6 to the brush It, and may be placed in contact with any one of these plates, as desired, either manuallyor automatically, by means of a motor or other suitable device, U, operated by currents traversing the conductor 5. The arrangement of the circuit connections with reference to the coils of the armature C and the commutator-s G and F" are suclrthat when by the revolution of the armature in the direction indicated by the arrow or the outer ends of any two coils are placed in connection with the contact-brushes H and K the inner ends of the same coils will be in electrical connection with the brushes R and S. A continuous current will thus be caused to flow through the conductors 5 and 6 and one or more of the opposing coils f. This current will be of the same strength as that traversing the main circuit, and is in fact the same current. If, therefore, the current generated increases beyond a normal strength, the switch T will be operated to include a greater number of the coilsf in the opposing circuit. The effect of including these coils is twofold: first, to correspondingly decrease the intensity of the field of force within which the motor-armature revolves, and, second, to increase the internal resistance of the arnnirture, thereby diminishing its generative capacity. XV hen, on the other hand, the current falls below its normal strength, the switch T acts to reduce the number ofopposing coils in circuit, thus correlatively increasing the intensity of the field of force of the motor-armatu re E", and decreasing the internal resistance of the generative armature. By properly adjusting the relative resistances of the several opposing coils f to the action of the motor employed for controlling the position of the switch T the strength of the current generated may be rendered approximately constant.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of a generating-armature, its shaft, a motor-armature mounted upon said shaft and. tending under the influence of the generated current to revolve in a direction opposite to the direction in which said generating-armature revolves, and mechanical means for rotating said shaft.

2. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of a shaft, a generating-armature mounted upon said shaft, a motor-armature of smaller dimensions than said generatingarmature, also mounted upon said shaft, and electrical circuits for conveying the current generated in said generatingarmature through the coils of said motor-armature, for the purpose of establishing a tendency to rotate it in the reverse direction to the motion of said shaft.

3. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of a shaft, a generating-armature mounted upon said shaft, a motor-armature mounted upon sa-id shaft, field-magnets vitalized by the current generated by said generating-armature, the electrical circuits, and com mutators whereby the current is caused to traverse the coils of said motor-armature in the direction necessary to make it oppose the movement of said generating-armature.

4. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of a shaft, a generatingau mature mounted upon said shaft, and a motorarmature whose coils are connected in series with those of said geiierating-armature, also mounted upon said shaft, for the purpose of modifying the rotary movement of said shaft.

5. The method of regulating the current generated in a rotating armature, which con i sists in converting a fraction of the generated current into a mechanical force for directly opposing the rotation of said armature, substantially as herein set forth.

'n testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this (5th day of January, A. l). 1885.

ROBERT J. SHEEHY.

\Vitnesses:

DANIEL \V. fiGncncoiin, Guannns A. Tn'uuv. 

